Interview with Author – Abby Rosmarin

About Abby Rosmarin:
What do you get when you cross paralyzing neurosis with a sense of humor?

Me. Hi there, I’m Abby. And it’s a pleasure to know you.

I’m a writer, a yoga instructor, and a model based out of New England. When I’m not attempting to convince people that one (or all three) of my jobs actually count as a day job, I’m running, hiking, kickboxing, or attempting to run away and join the circus. You can find my blatant attempts for attention on Twitter @thatabbyrose and on my blog at thatabbyrose.wordpress.com

What inspires you to write?
Life, plain and simple. Everything, from the mundane, daily interactions, to the moments so intense that we’re surprised we live to see the end of them. Life is so vivid and beautiful and tragic and complex — every aspect of it is begging to be written about.

In some ways, desperation is also at the heart of what inspires me: desperation to get my emotions out as words, desperation to get what I want to say out, desperation to write out the story bouncing around in my head — and desperation for others to read what I have written and have it resonate with them.

Tell us about your writing process.
I have found that I truly have no rhyme or reason. My first manuscript was carefully outlined out, down to the chapter. My second manuscript was a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants situation, from beginning to end. My third manuscript was a mix of the two. Sometimes I’m scribbling out passages at a fevered pace (and in a fevered state). Sometimes I’m carefully crafting what I’m going to say next. It really will depend on the day, the subject, my mood, and my energy levels.

For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I have to identify with my characters in order to write about them, plain and simple. While I haven’t outright listened or talked to them, I do carry them close to my heart. I care about their history, I care about what happens to them, and I care about how they will solve their problems. Without that, they become two-dimensional.

What advice would you give other writers?
Be voracious in the stories of people. Be fascinated in what makes people tick. Be in love with the human condition. More than fancy writer workshops, more than books on writing the perfect novel, that is key. That is the most important.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first book — a collection of essays about my time as a model — was published through a website I wrote for. I loved the website and loved the books that they produced. I also wanted to write out some of the more humorous incidents from my career, so it only made sense.

After six years of attempting to go down the more traditional route for my first fiction book, I decided to venture out on my own and self-publish. The publishing landscape has changed drastically from when I first finished the book. While it is absolutely frightening to venture out on my own, it is also exhilarating to know that I am in control of what I do with my book.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I see the book publishing world evolving in the same way that the rest of the entertainment world has evolved. We live in a world where Youtube, Vine, and general bloggers are gaining as much attention as their mainstream counterparts. We are seeing more and more content created by independent entities — from small companies to individual people. And I think that shift is only going to continue.